Stan Campbell, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Director of Campus Recreation at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Past President’s Representative on the NIRSA Board of Directors.
1. You have been involved in campus recreation for thirty-four years. How have universities changed their perception of campus recreation over the years?
I’ve seen perceptions change significantly. At first, a lot of campus recreation programs were under athletics or academic departments. And because of where they were placed, campus recreation was often viewed as the step child and was neglected when it came to funding, staffing and facilities. Currently, over 70% of campus recreation departments nationally are under student affairs and have become major departments. This is the most significant change because it shows that institutions are recognizing the benefit of recreation departments. Campus recreation programs and facilities are used as recruitment tools for students and we are a major player in wellness initiatives on campus. In addition, I’ve seen campus recreation departments assume increased responsibilities, add staff and programs, and construct new facilities to meet the demands of their student populations.
2. Describe the future of campus recreation as you see it.
I see the future as very bright for this profession. I envision an increased emphasis on wellness and fitness initiatives throughout the country, as the government takes notice of the increased incidence of obesity, heart disease, cancer, etc. I see campus recreation professionals becoming leaders in solving these problems. The more we play a role in solving global problems the more others will start to value our profession as much as we do. I see learning outcomes tied to assessments and those objectives justifying the worth of campus recreation to institutional leaders. This can be a real positive outcome for campus recreation because we play a huge role in educating students outside the classroom.
3. Campus recreation is often not taken seriously by other university departments. What advice would you give to students to help change that reputation?
I would tell students to first identify what is important to your university administration whether it’s meeting admissions goals, holistic education, retention of students, etc. Then determine strategically how you can assist your university in meeting those goals. The department gains credibility by assisting the institution to address those pressing issues. The days when campus recreation was just a programming entity are coming to an end.
4. Your job is to enhance student development, among other things. From your experience, what is one of the biggest mistakes you see students make professionally?
I see a lot of students’ pigeon holing themselves with their experiences. They are not seeking broad enough opportunities and this often makes it difficult to find employment. I believe students should develop goals and a plan for achieving those goals. Skills and competencies acquired through employment at campus recreation are transferable to a wide variety of work settings. I encourage students to explore options, seek involvement opportunities and be willing to take risks.
5. One could argue students are the future of our association and profession. How will the proposed governance changes influence the students’ role in NIRSA?
The students’ role in NIRSA will certainly change, but I believe it’s for the better. Currently, the national student representative sits on the board of directors, and with the proposed governance change, the NSR will be in the Network. The role will change positively as they will be allowed to focus their energies on student concerns and goals. The regional student representatives and national student representative will be focusing on communication with student members, and facilitating lead-ons and other student development initiatives (actions with direct impact to the student population). Many are concerned that a student will not be on the board of directors in the new model, but I would be very surprised if the board went away from seeking input from student members.
6. You hold two roles at Lincoln. Can you tell us a little about them. How does your Associate Vice Chancellor’s role affect your Director’s role?
The affects of the positions on each other can at times be both positive and negative. I’m not physically present at the campus recreation center as much as I once was. I have two separate offices in two separate buildings, and I’m often in meetings. My Associate Vice Chancellor’s role often puts me in a position to help campus recreation. For example, I am the Division of Student Affairs representative for campus planning which recommends the master planning of facilities on campus, thus I am aware at a very early planning stage of the potential impact of facility projects on campus recreation. I am also in a position whereby I interact with the administration, academic deans, department chairs, business & finance colleagues, etc. on a frequent basis. This allows me to build relationships with these individuals and to form strategies whereby campus recreation might be able to assist them in meeting their goals and objectives. The more we can assist other units to achieve their objectives, the more valuable we become to the university.
I serve as an advisor to the Committee for Fee Allocation, a group of 11 students that makes allocation recommendations for in excess of $17 million of student fee revenue. Campus Recreation has a budget of approximately $7.3 million and approximately 77% of the revenue comes from student fees. In addition, I am in frequent contact with our student government president and vice presidents, Residence Hall Association president, Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council officers, etc. All of these contacts have the potential to benefit campus recreation.
7. Many professionals lose touch with the students as they move up the administrative chain in their recreation department. What efforts do you make to stay connected to the student population and to your student employees?
This year I had my administrative assistant schedule individual appointments with all the full-time employees and graduate assistants working for campus recreation so I could meet with them to talk about their needs and desires as an employee, and to gauge how we are meeting those needs as a department. This helps me get to know the employees better and I believe helps them feel connected to all levels of administration in our campus recreation department.
As for staying connected to student employees, it is difficult. I have asked staff members to take pictures and provide background information on their upper level student employees. By doing so, it helps me put names with faces and allows me to talk with them on a more personal level. In addition, Vicki Highstreet and I have a student seminar that meets once per month with our graduate assistants and undergraduate students that have indicated an interest in learning more about a career in campus recreation. I also meet biweekly with the Campus Recreation Advisory Council, which is a group of 12 students and 3 faculty/staff members, to get their input on our programs, services, facilities, policies, budget requests, operating procedures, etc. We are also developing a Student Employee Council that I will meet with once per month, beginning with the start of the spring semester. As much as time permits, I speak to student employees during their staff trainings.
8. How has this job enabled you to accomplish other life goals?
I am an extrovert; therefore, I enjoy meeting and interacting with people. My jobs have certainly put me a position to do that on a frequent basis. I know colleagues from around the nation and often get together with them during my vacation and/or professional travels. I also enjoy physical activity and participating in activities offered by campus recreation. This allows me to view our department from the participant’s perspective, which I have found to be both valuable and enjoyable. As examples, I led one of our sailing trips to the Bahama Islands, have participated in the faculty/staff intramural golf league for 28 years, continue to assist with the administration of extramural events held on our campus, play noon basketball, jog, hike, ride a bicycle, etc.
9. How would you encourage students to deal with employees who are not meeting expectations and departmental standards?
First, I would make sure the employee understands the expectations. If they do and they are not meeting the expectations, assuming one is in a supervisory role, meet with them one on one to discuss their work performance. Don’t assume the employee understands that he/she is not meeting expectations. Ask questions to determine the employee’s level of understanding of what is expected of them. Assure them that you want them to be successful. Identify the deficiencies and together develop a plan of action to help them improve work performance. Once the plan has been agreed upon, hold the employee accountable. Acknowledge and praise improved work performance. However, if performance does not improve address that as well. Realize that you may not successfully improve work performance for all employees. If that is the case, be honest with the employee and let them know their employment is being terminated. In some cases, termination of employment may motivate them to perform better in their next job.
Thank You Stan and Good Luck in 2009!
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